516 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [bth. ann. 46 



Midwifery, Childbirth, Naming 



Nearly all the old women and most of those of middle age exercise 

 the office of mid wives. When a woman perceives the pains of labor 

 approaching, the lodge is cleared of all the men and children except 

 the small ones, and the mother of the woman with some other 

 experienced female acquaintances are invited. The doctor is also 

 notified to have his medicine in readiness in case of it being wanted. 

 The woman is placed on her knees and sticks set up in this form 

 PI placed before her. She presses the abdomen on the cross stick, 

 rubbing gently along it. The pains of labor are said to be very 

 severe. If danger is apprehended, the doctor is sent for and ad- 

 ministers a draft of pulverized rattles of the rattlesnake or decoction 

 of roots. If the doctor be a man, he then retires; but if a female 

 she remains. Cases of solitary confinement happen occasionally 

 from lonely situations. No nurse is provided; the mother takes 

 care of her children from their birth. The rite of circumcision is 

 not performed, but they evince a great desire that their children 

 should be naturally thus formed and attach an unaccountable im- 

 portance to that incident. 



On the birth of a child a horse is given with other property to 

 those in attendance. After three weeks or a month has elapsed 

 the ceremony of giving it a name takes place. There is no regular 

 period of time for this, and sometimes five or six months pass before 

 it is done. The probability is in this case that it is the want of 

 means to pay for the ceremonial, as in these instances they give for a 

 reason, "the parents are too poor." 



Usually, however, it is done about the time first mentioned and 

 this ceremony is the same whether the child be male or female. Some 

 medicine man generally makes the name, and sends word to the 

 parents that on a certain day he will bestow it on the child. When 

 the time has come a dog is killed and cooked or some other good 

 dish is provided, and invitations are sent to some 20 or 30 of their 

 friends and relatives to attend. When they are assembled the priest 

 makes known to them the object of the meeting in a suitable speech 

 to the supernatural powers, but principally to the tutelaries of de- 

 parted grandfathers and grandmothers, invoking them to take the 

 child under their protection, concluding with the name of the child 

 distinctly spoken in a loud voice so that all can hear it. The feast is 

 then divided, small portions thrown away for the dead and the rest 

 eaten. A horse in the meantime is tied outside as a present to the 

 medicine man for his services. He leads the horse around the camp, 

 singing in a loud voice the child's name and those of its parents. 

 If the child be a male this name is borne until he kills or strikes 



